Undergarment



Jan. 1, 1929.

M. O. EKEY UNDERGARMENT Filed June 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet amuew to'a M O-Ekey Jan. 1,-1929.

v 1,697,419 M. o. EKEY UNDERGARMENT Filed June 2, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i -a Q uoemtoz 447 1&9, attomama l Patented Jan. 1, 1929.

MARY OLIVE EKE Y, OF WEST LAFAYETTE, OHIO.

UNDERG-ARMENT.

Application filed. June 2,

This invention relates to improvements in ladies undergarments and has as its general obj ect to provide an undergarment which will serve the purposes of both a slip and bloomers and which will possess features rendering it exceptionally comfortable to Wear and, A at the-same time, serve its purpose of covering the body.

Ordinarily, garments of the type referred to above are so constructed that the crotch of the garment is located relatively high and the garment at this point soon becomes soiled, thus necessitating frequent laundering. Therefore, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide an undergarment in the nature of a combined slip and bloomers so constructed that the crotch will be located considerably lower than in the ordinary garment and w'ill not snugly fit the body of the wearer, thus likewise avoiding chafing and permitting the garment to be worn wit-h greater comfort.

Likewise, garments of the type referred to above are ordinarily so constructed at the lower endsof the legs that they fit tightly and'in many instances encumber the wearer in movements of the limbs and particularlyv bendin ofthe knees. Therefore, it is another 0 ject of the present invention to provide a garment, the bloome-r portion of which will have its legs so constructed that they cannot bind the limbs of the-wearer but will fit loosely and comfortably .and yet present all the appearances and possess all of the advantages of the bloomer effect.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the legs of the bloomer portion of the garment that either of the legs may be spread open at the outer side and the garment readily and convenientlyadjusted or arrange'd'when using a toilet. 1

While the legs of the garment embodying the invention are open along their outer sides on vertical lines, the invention contemplates a-construction such that the open sides of the legs will not tend to spread open but will have a tendency to remain closed while the garment is being worn.

Another object of the invention is to so constructlthe garment that the upper or slip portion thereof will comfortably accommodate itself to the body of the wearer and will support the lower or bloomer portion of the garment in a manner to aflord the desired looking in the direction indicatedby the ar- 1926. serial No. 113,212.

fullness and thus permit of freedom of body movements without causing any discomfort. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the garment applied. c

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the garment, one of the legs being open.

Figure 3 is a rear view of the garment, a part being shown in section v v Figure 4 is a vertical-sectional View taken substantially on the line 4'4 of Figure 8, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional 'viewfmken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 2 rows. R

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional viewon an enlarged scale, on the line 66 ofFigure 4,,

looking in the/direction indicated by thear rows.

The upper portion of the garment, which is designed to coverthe body from a point below the arm pits to approximately the hips,.

is indicated ingeneral by the numeral-Land the same comprises a front section 2and a back section 3,,which sections. are united along their lateral marginal portions by a seam 4t and which are provided at their up.-;

per marginal portions with acontinuous hem 5 in which is arranged a draw string dextending at its end portions through openings ,7 located at the front ofthe garment, the

draw stringv serving, as usual, as a means for;

slightlyrestricting the upper marginal portion of the garment to conform to the body. Shoulder straps 8 are connected at their ends to the upper marginal portions of the front and rear members 2 and 3 and serve their. usual purpose. The lower marginal portion of each of the members 2 and. 3 is curved gradually downwardly'from the lateral marginal portions of the respective portions 2 and 3, as indicated by the numeral 9, and the said lower margins of theportions 2and 3 are united by a seam 10 to the upper margins of the legs of the garment.

The legs of the garment are indicatedby the numeral 11 and each of the legs 11 com-s prises a front member 12 and a back member 13. The inner margins of the front and rear leg portions of the two legs of the garment are united by a relatively short seam 14:, and

the inner lateral marginsof the said front and rear portions of the legs are united by a continuous seam 15 extending downwardly from the seam 10 at the front and rear of the garment and along the crotch, the said seam 15 intersecting the seam 14, preferably slightly in advance of a point on the crotch line midway between the front and rear of the garment.

By reference to Figures 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, it will be observed that while the legs of the garment are of a length to reach to a point immediately above the knees of the wearer, the crotch of the garment is located much-lower than ordinarily and, in fact, is located but a short distance above the lower ends of thelegs at their inner sides, with the result that the crotch of the garment does not fit snugly to the body but is givena desirable fullness so that chafing cannot take lace and there is not the discomfort attendmg the wearing of the garment that is present in the wearing of similar garments in which the crotch is located relatively high, early I soiling being also prevented.

"Each leg 11 of the garment is open at its outer side from the seam 10 to its lower end,

and in order that the said open sides or plackets of the legs may be normally closed and be not liable to spread open, the marginal portions of the open side of each leg of the garment are provided with overlapping bands indicated in general by the numeral 16. The overlap of these bands is clearly shown in both Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings,-which are sectional views illustrating in detail the manner of forming the bands, and the overlap is likewise clearly shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings. Each of the bands 16 comprises a cloth blank which is folded longitudinally substantially medially upon itself, as indicated by the numeral 17 so as to provide plies 18, and the marginal portion 19 of one of the plies is disposed against the inner side of the marginal portion of the front or rear section of the respective leg of the garment, as the case may be, and the marginal portion of the other ply is folded upon itself, as at 20, and disposed against the outer side of the marginal portion of the front or rear part of the respective leg, as the case may be, as

best shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, the several marginal portions being united by stitching, as indicated by the numeral 21. Therefore, the bands 16 are of two-ply structure and the bands are relatively wide and extend the entire vertical length of the plackets of the legs of which they constitute a part.

At their upper ends, the bands are brought into the seam 9 which extends about the waist or hip portion of the garment, as illustrated clearly in Figure 6 of the drawings, and secured in such overlapping relation with re spect to each other, by the lines of stitching forming the said seam 10, that the fold 17 of each band will be substantially opposite erence to Figures 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings,

that the bands 16 maintain their overlapped relation from the seam 10 to the extreme lower end of each respective log of the garment.

A limb encircling band 22 is provided at the lower end of each leg 11 of the garment and, as clearly illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings, each band comprises a cloth blank folded substantially medially longitudinally upon itself as at 23 and stitched at its upper marginal portion as at 24, to the lower marginal portion of the respective leg, the marginal portions of the band being disposed one at the inner side and the other at the outer side of the leg. These bands extend about the lower marginal portions of the respective legs of the garment and terminate at their ends at the folds 17 at the lower ends of the bands 16, and preferably the said bands 16 and 22 will be respectively relatively wide and deep. It will now be evident that the bands 16 overlap each otherat the outer side of each respective leg, as do also the ends of the respective bands 22, so that the placket at the outer side of each leg is normally closed. Any suitable means is provided for closing the plaekets at their lower ends, as for example a button 25at one end of the band 22 and a buttonhole 26 at the other end of the said band, and these fasten-v ing devices are so positioned that when the plackets are closed the bands 16 will tend at all times to assume the fully overlapped position shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, thus lessening the likelihood of the plackets spreading open as would be the case if it were not for the provision of said bands 16 and if the margins of the leg blanks at the opposite sides of the plackets were merely hemmed. Furthermore, the bands 16 are in: fiuenced to normally maintain their fully overlapped relation shown in the said Figure 5, due to the arrangement of their upper ends within the seam 10. The bands 22 are, as stated, of cloth and inelastic, so that they do not bind about the limbs and, in fact,

they are made of such length that when con nected at their ends, they will merely loosely encircle the limbs of the wearer of the garment above the knees. In order to provide the desired bloomer effect, the lowerportions of the legs of the garment are formed of greater width than the length of the respective bands 22 and are puckered as indicated by the numeral 27.

From the foregoing descriptioii of the intages of a slip inasmuch as it is unnecessary to unfasten or open the leg plackets as the fullness-at the lower ends of the legs is sufficient to permit of the wearer, stepping into and out of the garment. Therefore, there is no binding of the lower ends of the legs about the limbs of the wearer and the garment is, therefore, comfortable to wear as it does not restrict the limb movements. Likewise, by forming the seams 14 relatively short and the seams 15 of considerable length, the crotch of the bloomer portion of the garmentis brought much lower than is customary, resulting in greater comfort to the wearer and less likelihood of soiling.

While it is preferable that the upper ends of the bands 16 forming the plaekets of the legs of the garment be secured within the seam 10, it will be understood that any other arrangement might be resorted to provided the ends of the companion bands be in full overlapped relation as are the bands themselves throughout their length.

It will also be evident from the foregoing description of the invention that there is not the likelihood of sidewise twist of the upper portion of the garment because of ull exerted by tight fitting of the lower en s of the legs of the garment about the limbs of the wearer as is ordinarily the case.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

An undergarment comprising an upper body portion and a lower portion united by a waistline seam, the lower portion having legs, each leg being open continuously along its outer side from the waist line seam to its lower end, bands folded to provide double plies and between which are secured the marginal portions of each leg at the said open side thereof, the bands being united at their upper ends to each other and to the upper portion by the seam of the garment in position to mutually overlap, aband extending around the lower marginal portion of each leg with its ends terminating at the lower ends of the first mentioned bands, and means at the lower ends of the legs for closing the said open sides thereof.

In testimony whereof I afiix" my signature.

MARY OLIVE EKEY. [1,. s.]. 

